Appearance ring and method of constructing and fitting the same



H. G. KELLOGG 1,855,023

APPEARANCE RING AND METHOD OF CONSTRUQTING AND FITTING THE SAME April19, 1932.

Filed g 27, 1931 2' Sheets-Sheet omer e a Y Wm 14%!- WMAQ ATTORNEYS.

April 19, 1932. KELLQGG 1,855,023

APPEARANCE RING AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING AND FITTING THE SAME FiledAug. 27, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E- :2 I NVENTOR Homer Q, Kellogg.

BYWW'W MM-dM ATTORN EYS.

Patented Apr. 19, 1932 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOMER G. KELLOGG, OFDETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO MOTOR PRODUCTS COR- PORATION, 013DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPEARANCE RING AND METHODOF CONSTRUCTING AND FITTING THE SAME Application filed'August 27, 1931.Serial No. 559,798.

This invention relates to appearance rings in the form of annular finishor trim strips or rails for vehicle rims, hubs and the like, and also tothe method of constructing and fitting devices of this character.

At present it is customary to apply an annular finish strip, usuallycalled an appearance ring, to, for instance, a wheel rim for the purposeof imparting an ornamental appearance thereto. These appearance ringsare usually in the form of a complete annulus and are secured to the rimeither by means of anchorage strips attached to the supporting surface,or by means of beads, grooves or the like formed therein. However,because of the variances in the diameters of the rims and in theappearance rings in mass production, difiiculty is frequentlyexperienced in fitting these appearance rings to the rims. Likewise, ifthe rims are finished before the appearance rings are attached, thefinished surface of the rim is frequently marred.

It is therefore one of the primary objects of this invention to providean appearance ring so constructed that the same may be quickly andeasily fitted and attached to the vehicle rim.

The several objects, or advantages and; novel details of construction ofthis invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds,especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is an elevational view of a vehicle rim having attachedthereto an appearance ring constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view taken substantiallyon the plane indicated by the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the manner in which the appearancering is assembled with the vehicle rim.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially onthe plane indicated by the line 44 in Figure 6;

Figure 5 is a separated perspective view of the connecting means for theends of the appearance ring;

Figure 6 is a view of the ends of the ap pearance ring united; and

Figure 7 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 2 showing a slightlymodified form of construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be noted thatthere is illustrated a vehicle rim 10 provided with an appearance ring11 in the form of an annular or ring-like finish strip or rail. Thisappearance ring is adapted to be attached to the vehicle rim in any oneof a number of ways but is here shown as engaging recesses 12formed inthe rim.

In accordance with this invention I propose making the appearancering inthe form of a split ring member, thus providin a pair of free ends A andB. By forming tie ring as a splitring member, it may be more readilyassociated with the wheel rim and the end faces of the ends A and B canthen be engaged with a tool to expand the split ring memberinto firmengagement with the wheel rim. Such a tool as shown and indicated by thereference character C in Figure 3.

The reference character 13 indicates an anchorage strip, which, asillustrated in Figures 4=-and 5, is provided at its longitudinal edgeswith return-bent portions 14 forming shoulders 15.- This anchorage stri13 will be secured to one of the free ends 0 the split ring member, as,for instance, by welding as indicated at 16 (see Figure 6), the otherend of the anchorage strip sliding within the other free end of thesplit ring member.

In fitting these appearance rings to rim, I will provide a number ofsegmental strips or segments 17 of varying widths, but otherwise of thesame general contour as the split ring member itself. Thus when thesplit ring member 11 applied to the rim as suggested in Figure 3, theexpanding tool C will be employed and the split ring will be expandedinto tight engagement with the rim. The ends A and B of the split ringmember will thus be moved apart and the ring can be held in thisexpanded position by any suitable clamping means (not shown). Thereafterone of the segments 17 is selected which has a width equal to thedistance between the i,

I opposed faces of the ends A and B and this necessary.

segment will then be secured in position by a snap-on engagement withthe exposed portion of the anchorage strip 13. For this purpose thesegment 17 is provided at its longi-' tudinal edges with openreturn-bent portions 18 adapted to snap over the shoulders 15 of theanchorage strip 13. When the segment 17 is thus secured in place, theclamping means will be removed and a substantially complete annulus willbe produced, the joints between the segment and the ends of the splitring member being scarcely noticeable when the wheel rim is mounted upona vehicle wheel.

As shown in Figure 7, the segment 17 may be additionally secured inplace by means of a rivet, screw or the like 19. However, when thesegment 17 is provided with a firm snapon engagement with the anchoragestrip, such additional attaching means will be un- From the foregoing itwill be apparent that appearance rings constructed and fitted inaccordance with this invention will have the advantage that the surfaceof the rim will not be marred, and the variances in diameter incident tomass production of the rims and appearance rings may be compensated for.That is, the distances between the opposed faces of the ends A and B ofthe appearance ring may vary within certain limitations and the segment17 can be supplied in varying lengths so that one of the proper-lengthcan be selected for attachment to the anchorage strip to produce thecomplete annulus.

It will be obvious to those skilled in this art that various changes inmany of the nonessentials of the details of construction may be resortedto without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and tothis end reservation is made to make such changes as may come within thepurview of the accompanyin claims.

What I c aim as my invention is:

1. An appearance ring of the class described comprising, a split ringmember having spaced ends, and a se ment insertable between said spacedends or forming a complete annulus.

-2. An appearance ring of the class described ccmprising, a split ringmember having spaced ends. a segment insertable between said spaced endsin abutting relation thereto for forming a complete annulus, and meansfor securing said segment in.place.

3. Anappearance ring of the a class described comprising, a split ringmember, an. anchorage strip secured to said rin member,

. and a segment arranged between the ends of said split ring member andsecured to said anchorage strip.

4 A ring-like finish strip of the class descrlbed comprising, a s litring member, an anchorage strip secure at one end of said split ring,and a segment having a snap-on engagement with said anchorage striplocated between the ends of said split ring.

5. A ring-like finish strip of the class described comprising, a splitring member, an anchorage strip secured to one end of said split ringand slidably engaging the other end thereof, and a segment adapted tofill the space between the ends of said split ring mem er and shaped forsnap-on engagement with said anchorage strip.

6. The method of attaching an annular finish strip to a supportingsurface of fixed dimensions which consists in shaping the finish stripinto a. split ring, fitting the strip to said surface whereby the endsare spaced,

